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Covering the Crew

March 30, 2014

Arguably the most basic of conversations preceded the most dramatic goal of a young Crew season.

With the game tied at 1 at Seattle’s CentryLink Field and his team playing with a man advantage, Crew coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter was set to insert attacking midfielder Justin Meram into the lineup for defensive midfielder Wil Trapp. It was the 89th minute.

March 28, 2014

As the Crew enters its third game of the season, coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter has
used the same starting lineup in both games so far. It’s hard to argue with the results – the Crew
is 2-0-0 for the first time in club history – but last weekend’s 2-1 win against Philadelphia
caused many more moments of concern than did the 3-0 season-opening win against D.C. United. In
addition, last year’s leading scorer, Dominic Oduro, opened the game on the bench after missing the
opener due to suspension.

Last season, the Crew used 25 different lineups in 34 league games under Robert Warzycha and
then Brian Bliss. The team used the same lineup in consecutive games nine times.

March 27, 2014

When the email finally arrived, Michael Parkhurst was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

With the United States set to face Mexico in a friendly April 2 in Phoenix, the Crew’s captain
was a likely candidate to make Jurgen Klinsmann’s list of players. But it wasn’t until yesterday
afternoon that Parkhurst finally saw the message he was waiting for in his mailbox telling him he
was one of 22 players being called into camp.

March 25, 2014

1. Anthony Precourt isn’t very interested in discussing why the move to part ways with
president Mark McCullers was made, only the future that lies ahead.The very first question the Crew’s chairman and investor-operator fielded during his press
conference was about whether the team’s television deal with Time Warner Cable SportsChannel led to
the ousting of McCullers. Here was his response: “This is really about the future direction of the
club and the vision I see for the Columbus Crew. Mark and I have had an opportunity to work
together for the last eight months. We worked well together, but obviously the offseason is the
most important time of the year for our front office. We’ve got a number of things going on here at
the club that Mark and I were working on and we didn’t have a lot of time to talk about the future.”<
/p>

March 24, 2014

The vision Anthony Precourt has for the Crew has increasingly not included team president Mark
McCullers, and today that resulted in the news that McCullers has resigned his post with the
club.

After 15 years with the Crew, McCullers will remain on staff until April 30 but all his
decision-making powers have been transferred to investor-operator Precourt, who will assume the
role of president on an interim basis. On a teleconference, Precourt said the decision was
necessary as the Crew begins to look toward its 2015 business plans – plans that would not have
included McCullers, whose contract was up in November.

March 24, 2014

The Crew has parted ways with team president Mark McCullers after 15 years with the club.

According to a release, McCullers has resigned after a discussion about his future during the
weekend with team investor-operator Anthony Precourt. He will remain in his role until April 30.
For now, Precourt will assume McCullers' duties as a national search for his replacement will get
underway.

March 22, 2014

Heading into tonight’s home opener, the Crew coach and sporting director heard the opinions and
preemptive awards being tossed around concerning his team. A 3-0 win that looked every bit as
dominating on first glance against D.C. United had enthusiasm about the Crew as high as it has been
in years at Crew Stadium.

March 22, 2014

Since he took over as the Crew’s investor-operator, Anthony Precourt has been vocal with his
desire to reenergize the club. Fans that stream into Crew Stadium today for the home opener against
Philadelphia will see a number of improvements, most noticeably a new scoreboard that is clearly
visible to drivers on nearby I-71.

But that desire to improve isn’t confined to splashy investments that are publicly noticeable.
At the company Christmas party, Crew Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing Mike Malo said
Precourt made a gesture to the Crew’s employees that shows his commitment.

March 21, 2014

An open week on the schedule can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. For a Crew team
coming off an impressive preseason and a dominant season-opening win, being forced to watch from
the sidelines during week two of the Major League Soccer regular season made for somewhat of an
awkward break.

As the Crew has prepared for Saturday’s home opener against Philadelphia, coach and sporting
director Gregg Berhalter said he approached the break as an extension of the team’s preseason.

March 20, 2014

The Crew hosted its annual media day this morning/afternoon at Crew Stadium. In addition to the
buzz generated by a strong preseason and decisive season-opening win for the Crew, a number of
off-the-field business items were addressed as well.

March 20, 2014

The beginning of a new season signals a fresh start for all players on a roster. But even with
that in mind, what happened leading up to and during the Crew’s season opener still caught Adam
Bedell by surprise.

After being taken in the third round of the 2014 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, Bedell was the
final player to sign to the team’s roster when his contract was announced March 5. Three days
later, Bedell became the first Crew rookie to make his season debut when he came on in the 87th
minute of a 3-0 road win against D.C. United.